Why is the game called rummy?

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No one knows for sure about the name rummy and where it came from. There are certain theories that might describe the origin of the word rummy and following are a few of these theories: Rummy is a noun for a person who is habitually drunk and some suggest that the original game was played for a glass of Rum which is an alcoholic drink and the loser of the game had to buy a round of rum drinks for all. The poker origin theory holds that Rummy evolved from Poker, which originated with French settlers in the New World. Poker rules and rummy rules do have certain similarities in how cards are combined, both sharing the concepts of straights and three- of-a-kind in poker. Specifically, Rummy is said to have developed from a game called "Whiskey Poker", which later became known as "Rum Poker" and then just "Rummy". The word ‘rum’ is also British slang for ‘weird’, ‘bizarre’, ‘strange’ or ‘peculiar’ and it is believed that perhaps someone uttered the word rum when learning the rules of the ...
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